BFR Developments

[Syne]

Wow, survives reentry, can't survive a little surfing.

[Yazata]

The heavy lift semi-submersible vessel Forte has arrived at Christmas Island. Expectation there is that Ship 40 will be loaded aboard starting tomorrow for its trip back to Starbase. Loading might take the better part of a week.

There's internet discussion about whether Forte will head east across the Pacific to Panama, through the canal (it will barely fit) and then north to Texas. Or whether it will head west across the Indian ocean, around South Africa and then north the whole length of the Atlantic. The western route is longer but avoids the Panama tolls and would only extend the trip by a few days.

It's assumed that the Suez canal/Mediterranean route isn't viable because of the Houthis in Yemen who like to shoot at shipping in the southern Red sea.

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Photo below by Chris Bray showing Forte off Christmas Island. The yellow things on the deck appear to be cribbing to hold 40 and keep it from rolling on the deck.

What Forte will do is fill its ballast tanks with water and sink its cargo deck below the surface, so the only the front of the ship and those two pillars at the rear are above the waterline. Then 40 will be floated above the deck and positioned, which might be hard outside a sheltered harbor in what is essentially the open ocean. Finally Forte will pump out its ballast tanks and raise its deck above the water again, and 40 will be secured in place.

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Absolutely great photo by Chris Bray showing Normand Ranger and Ship 40

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[Syne]

You always post such great info and pictures, Yaz. Thanks.

[Yazata]

Photos by Lisa Preston of ABC.net.au (the Australian Broadcasting Company). Establishment journalism has flown reporters out to Christmas Island. ABC's story was actually pretty good, reasonably accurate in my opinion. It's hard for journalists who know nothing about the subject they are assigned to cover to get up to speed so as to compete with the space nerds on X who watch this stuff every day.

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[Yazata]

This morning, Australia time, Forte partially submerged, the spaceship floated above its submerged deck, and Forte surfaced again. After 32 days, Ship 40 is finally out of the Indian Ocean.

[Yazata]

Booster 21 (the Flight 14 booster) has rolled out to the launch pad for its static fire campaign

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And the brand new Starbase police department (1 chief, 2 sergeants and 6 officers) has received its police cars, police model cybertrucks. (Photo by WAI's Amy Doehring)

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[Yazata]

SpaceX says:

"SpaceX engineers spent several days inspecting Ship 40 in the waters off Christmas Island. They collected heatshield samples and gained vital insight into how the vehicle handled reentry with improvements now planned on future vehicles."

SpaceX drone photos

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[Yazata]

Time flies when you are having fun!!

Today is the seventh anniversary of Hoppy's famous flight!!

Back when there were no launch pads, no launch towers, no factory, no vertical assembly bays... just Texas guys in pickups building spaceships out in a field...

(Photo by Jack Beyer)

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[Yazata]

Forte has left Christmas Island, carrying S40. It appears to be headed west, the longer route around South Africa and up the whole length of the Atlantic. Rumor is that the Panama Canal isn't at full capacity because of low water in Gatun lake and Forte might have too deep a draft to make it.

[Yazata]

B21, the Flight 14 booster, just completed what looked to me like a successful 33-engine static fire.

The amount of energy that this thing puts out is incredible. But both the rocket and the pad appear to be perfectly fine afterwards.

(Photo by Jordan Guidry of WAI)

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